


Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

by Krank



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, This is so disgustingly sweet, and domestic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 01:48:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1100978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krank/pseuds/Krank
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>It's Christmas, and the last place Harry wants to be is at the office. Thus, he makes it up to his boyfriend with a little love and affection... And a pretty huge gift.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas everyone! Here's a little something-something to make it merry and bright!

Harry sighed and sat back in his office chair, rubbing his hands over his face slowly. He rubbed his eyes, having spent the last couple of hours gazing intently at his laptop, typing furiously and attempting to mend the mishap that had gone down at the company’s distribution center in California. Everything was fixed, though, and after the holiday’s things would resume as normal, no one the wiser as to what happened that day.

He caught sight of the time on his laptop and groaned. It was officially Christmas. He shut down his computer and frantically grabbed for his more important papers, stuffing them all in to his briefcase. He was typically a neat and orderly person, but he needed to get home and he honestly could care less about financial reports and end-of-year reviews.

He shut his office door behind him, though as he turned to head towards the elevators, he saw that his secretary was still seated behind her desk, eyes zeroed in on her screen.

“El, what are you still doing here?” Harry asked, shuffling over to her.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, no doubt startled by his sudden appearance. She then smiled, reaching blindly for her coffee mug. “I’m just getting myself ahead for next week!”

“It’s Christmas. Surely you’ve got somewhere better to be. You didn’t stay because of me, did you?” Harry wrestled his messenger bag on over his pea coat.

Eleanor shook her head. “Of course not! You know I don’t care about you that much,” she teased. “Louis is working a late shift tonight. He’s going to swing by and pick me up when he’s finished. We’re doing dinner at his family’s place tomorrow.”

“That sounds lovely. Did he get the birthday gift I got him?” Harry asked, chewing on the inside of his lip. Every year that they got older it became harder and harder to shop for his best friend.

Eleanor nodded. “Of course! It was the first thing he opened this morning. It was way too much, as usual. You’re too extravagant.”

Harry’s cheeks grew red. “Nonsense. It’s _Louis_.”

They said their goodbyes and Harry wandered over to the elevator, checking his phone as he waited for it to arrive. Just as he stepped in, he heard a shout, and looked to see El rounding her desk, a delicate little gift bag clutched in her hand.

“The gift! You forgot the gift!” She screeched, waving it around.

Harry’s eyes widened as he kept the lift door from closing, taking the gold gift bag from her. “Right, thanks.” His heart suddenly began to beat faster as he stared down at the contents of the package. His palms became sweaty.

“Good luck,” she winked, turning on her heel.

 

Harry was assaulted by Louis in the parking lot.

 

The house was dark when he got home, the only light coming from the foyer. The entire place was quiet, not a bit of music or television sounds to be heard. It was a bit eerie, and Harry hoped that everything was all right. He gracelessly tugged his boots off and shrugged out of his coat, hanging it in the closet and dumping his messenger bag in the office on the way to the living room.

Harry had landed his high-paying job right out of university, thanks to a family friend. It was dumb luck, and he never took it for granted. However, as soon as he was able to, his stepfather had encouraged him to stop renting and become a homeowner. It wasa logical idea, investing money in to something that he would eventually own, instead of sinking thousands in to a flat that was never truly his. Harry had found a two-story house that was sturdy and simple, with a big living space and two bedrooms. It was a massive leap for him, being the free spirit that he was. He always liked the idea that he could up and leave whenever he liked, though with a mortgage, he was officially an adult with responsibilities.

The only light in the living room came from the crackling fire in the fireplace, and the Christmas tree shining in the corner, a few small gifts tucked neatly underneath it. It felt warm and inviting, and he was ever grateful that he’d sunk so much money in to getting the fireplace and chimney up to code so that they could be used. And just as he expected, Harry found what he was looking for sprawled on the sofa, fast asleep.

Very carefully, he leaned down and pressed a kiss in to his boyfriend’s blond hair.

Niall snorted, his blue eyes blinking open.

“Merry Christmas,” Harry smiled softly, hanging over him.

He was rewarded with a wide grin. “You’re home!”

Harry grimaced and walked around to the front of the couch, settling down as the Irishman sat up, moving his legs to make room for him. “I’m so sorry, Niall. I really wanted to be here, I hope you know that.”

“Of course I know that, don’t be stupid,” Niall scolded, propping his chin on his hand. “You have an important job.”

“That isn’t an excuse, though. It’s Christmas. Your family came all the way from Ireland to visit with us… And I wasn’t even here.” Harry put his face in his hands. “I was supposed to properly meet your relatives and make a good first impression – they probably think horribly of me, now, leaving you alone on Christmas Eve.”

It was their first Christmas living together. In previous years, they had always parted ways during the holidays to spend time with their own families. Though, when Harry had finally asked Niall to move in with him, they had decided that enough was enough: they wanted to spend Christmas together. Thus, Niall had guilted his family in to coming down from Mullingar and they had planned a small party on Christmas Eve to welcome them. Harry’s own family was set to arrive on Christmas day for one giant combined family meal. It was going to be perfect, though Harry had gone and screwed it all up.

Niall wiggled closer to him, resting his head on Harry’s shoulder. “They don’t hate you. They could never hate you, because I wouldn’t let them.” He un-tucked Harry’s dress shirt and pressed his hand in to his warm back. “Besides, I just let them in the liquor cabinet. It solved everything.”

Harry chuckled, smacking a playful kiss on to Niall’s head. “You’re amazing. And you even cleaned up! You should have at least left me that punishment,” he said, gesturing to the living room.

Niall smiled mischievously. “Oh don’t worry, I left you the kitchen.”

“Oh you did, did you?” Harry tugged at Niall’s folded legs and guided him on to his lap so that he was straddling him. “That’s so nice of you.”

“Mm, I know. I’m selfless, what can I say.” Niall slid his arms around Harry’s neck and leaned down to press a kiss to his lips. Harry gripped his hips tightly in return, melting in to his boyfriend. When Niall pulled away he nuzzled Harry’s neck, clinging to him a bit like a koala.

He loved these moments, when it was just the two of them. No television shows on, no cell phones glowing… It was just Niall and Harry, wrapped up in each other. It felt like home to him. “I wish I was around more,” he mumbled.

“What are you on about now?” Niall whined.

Harry sighed. “I asked you to move in with me so that we could spend more time together and see each other more easily. I liked the idea of you always being around when I got home. I just… I never seem to _be_ home. I leave you alone a lot, and I’m sorry for that.”

Niall straightened, taking Harry’s face in his hands and staring him down. “Babe, it’s Christmas! Lighten up, would you?”

Harry continued to pout.

“Yeah, okay, you work way too much,” Niall agreed. “But imagine if I _didn’t_ live with you. You’d come home at arse o’clock in the morning to a cold, empty house and send me some morose, depressing little text message with a sad emoji.” Harry winced at the accuracy. “But now, every time you come home I get to have you all to myself. I don’t have to share you with anyone for the next few hours and that is like a little slice of paradise.” Niall kissed him again and Harry deepened it, sliding one of his hands in to his died blond hair. His other hand snuck up the back of Niall’s jumper, and the blond jumped at the feeling of his cold fingers.

“We should go to bed,” Niall mumbled against his lips. He rocked his hips down against Harry’s, eliciting a moan from the brunette. Harry gripped his hair tighter, an idea coming to mind as his body came to life.

“Why go all the way upstairs when we’ve got a perfectly good rug in front of the fire?” He whispered, voice dropping to a husky whisper.

Niall turned his upper body, craning his neck to look down at the tacky shag rug he’d picked out at a thrift store the week they moved in together. Harry had initially hated it, but it was growing on him little by little. The fact that Niall loved it was what mattered.

When he turned back towards Harry, his eyes were sparkling. “Really?”

Harry nodded. “Why not? We can do what we want.”

Niall flew off of his lap and raced to the stairs, taking them two at a time. Harry sighed, chuckling at his boyfriend’s antics. He then rose to his feet and grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch, spreading it out on top of the rug. It was theirs, yes, but it was also a decoration in their living room and Harry didn’t want to… _ruin_ it.

He removed his belt and loosened his tie, running a hand through his unruly hair. It was probably the least professional part of him, though the girls at the office demanded that he keep it. Niall liked it as well, and Harry didn’t want to fully surrender to the square lifestyle just yet.

He took a moment to look around the room. When he’d first moved in, he’d hated the house. It was a beautiful building, with amazing character and age, but it was big and cold and empty. He’d gone from a small pitiful flat to a large, open space and he didn’t know what to do with himself. He’d ended up spending the majority of his nights at Niall’s place, which he shared with one of his mates. Even on the nights Harry worked late, he’d crawl in to his boyfriend’s single bed at half-passed two in the morning, maneuvering his long, gangly limbs in to some semblance of comfort. It had taken him two months and Niall’s constant nagging to actually unpack his few possessions and furnish his new house.

It took him two more weeks after that to make the bold decision of asking Niall to move in with him. If he had to survive in a big, scary house, then he wasn’t going to do it alone. It had then taken Niall an entire day to say yes, after consulting with everyone around them and spreading the news that they were taking a big step in their relationship. They’d been dating seriously for three years; so living together wasn’t a foreign concept. Niall though it was massive, though.

The effect was almost instant; the house had come alive with the piece that Harry knew it had been missing. Niall was a tidy person, though he was a mild hoarder, and all around the house were little pieces of him and who he was.

Hanging on their living room wall adjacent to the fireplace was an Irish flag, tacked up with pushpins. It looked like it belonged in a university hall, but Harry knew it was important to his boyfriend to not ‘forget where he’d come from’. But honestly, how could Niall ever _forget_ he was Irish?

On their kitchen counter was a gaudy garden gnome named Michael, keeping watch over the refrigerator. Niall had stolen it from his university professor’s yard in his first year and had kept it, doodling on it and giving it a nice paint job.

More than just artifacts of Niall’s life were the mementos of their relationship, which had started with the lending of a pencil in their shared business class. That same pencil sat in a dish by their front door, cheesy as it seemed.

Harry was startled from his sappy reflection by the sound of a crash coming from upstairs, followed by a string of vulgar words. Moments later Niall came stumbling down the stairs, clutching a pillow and a bottle of lube, having already stripped to his boxers.

Harry raised an eyebrow. “What the hell was that?” He asked.

Niall shrugged, dropping his gathered things on to the blanket on the floor. He scratched his flat stomach. “I had a bit of trouble getting out of my trousers.”

Harry snorted, coming to stand in front of his boyfriend. “Silly, that’s what _I’m_ here for!” He cooed, leaning in and rubbing their noses together.

Niall grinned, taking his loosened tie and tugging him forward in to a kiss. “You know, one thing I do appreciate about your job is that every day I get to send you off all cleaned up and looking sexy in a suit.”

Harry nodded. “And then every night _I_ get to come home to you looking all cozy and delicious in jumpers and jogging pants. Win-win, I think.”

“Made for each other, I always say.”

In no time at all they were stripped bare, nothing between them but the disgusting love they shared.

 

Harry awoke suddenly hours later. The fire had burnt down to just embers, and a draft had found it’s way in to the room. His face was pressed in to the back of Niall’s neck, an arm securely placed around his love’s waist. It was then that two things occurred to him: The room smelled of sex and Niall was shivering.

Being careful not to wake him, Harry separated himself from their embrace. He knew that Niall likely wouldn’t rouse, having well and truly exhausted himself with their _activities_. To put it simply: Niall was extremely passionate. Either that, or he’d watched too much porn. Regardless, he treated sex like a sport and was always trying to hone his skills. It was safe to say that Harry had no objections towards Niall’s chosen life goals.

He shoved a log in to the fireplace and grabbed another blanket, draping it over Niall’s sleeping form. He smiled when he heard a content sigh.

He tiptoed in to the kitchen, trying not to shriek at the state of one of his favorite rooms in the house. He thought it had been cute when Niall had said he’d left it for Harry to clean, but it was sort of a nightmare. Despite his urge to get out the scrub brush and bleach, he instead made his way to the fridge, his throat completely dry. As he retrieved a bottle of water, he caught sight of Michael, standing rather judgmentally beside him on the marble counter top.

“What?” Harry barked, gesturing to his naked body. “Nothing you haven’t seen before.”

Unable to help it, he found himself in his office, digging through his bag for his phone. As he checked his emails, which were fewer because of the holiday, the little golden gift bag that he’d almost-not-really-forgotten-about mocked him from it’s place on the desk.

Harry swallowed hard.

_Why not?_

 

He crawled back down on to the floor beside his boyfriend, pulling him back against him like before. Niall mumbled something about turkey and relaxed, whining when Harry tried to share his blanket.

As he closed his eyes and prayed for sleep to find him again, he tried not to the think about the little black velvet box sitting innocently on the floor beside Niall’s pillow.

 

He woke for the second time to the feeling of weight settling on to his hips. He frowned and blinked up at Niall, who was grinning down at him while he played with the hair below his belly button; naked as the day he was born save for the blanket wrapped around his waist. He looked fresh and sleepy and incredible.

“Merry Christmas,” the blond croaked.

Harry yawned. “Merry Christmas. What are you doing up there?”

Niall shrugged. “I was bored. Got tired of watching you sleep. You were making cute little whistling noises.”

“I don’t make cute noises!” Harry protested. “I make manly noises with my strong, gruff vocal chords.”

Niall rolled his eyes. “Alright, princess. If you say so.”

Harry raised an eyebrow, grabbing Niall’s waist and beginning to tickle him. His boyfriend went rigid, scrunching up his nose as he wiggled around on Harry’s lap.

“You bastard!” He shrieked. “Stop! Stop it now!”

“Never!” Harry cried, not so gently throwing Niall down on to the blanket beneath them. Though, as he pinned him to the floor to resume his assault, Niall winced and proceeded to shove his arm under his back.

“What the fu-“ He wiggled around, and finally pulled his arm out, clutching the small black velvet box.

Harry’s heart stopped.

“What is this?” Niall asked, examining the small object.

“Oh! How did that get there? Here, let me have it.“ Harry reached out, snatching the box from him. He was suddenly unsure of his decision. The night before it had seemed like a good idea. He’d wanted Niall to wake slowly in the morning to find the little gift sitting beside him and wake Harry with a kiss and –

“What is it?” Niall asked again, knitting his eyebrows.

“I, uh, it’s nothing,” Harry stuttered, wedging his lip between his teeth.

“ _Harold_ ,” Niall said sternly.

He sighed. “It’s a gift... _For you_. Something I’ve been planning for a while… Fuck, I’m so nervous, though.”

Niall smiled, reaching up to stroke Harry’s cheek affectionately. “You? Nervous? That’s preposterous!”

Harry rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. He fingered the velvet box. “We’ve been together for a couple of years now… And I’m so glad that I asked you to move in with me. Having you here, and then getting to spend _Christmas_ with you – “

“Always one for the rambling, you are,” Niall teased.

Not knowing what else to do, Harry flipped open the lid on the box and shoved it in to Niall’s face. Nestled within it on a royal blue pillow was a thin white gold band, inset with a simple, glimmering diamond.

Niall’s jaw dropped, his eyes widening. He slapped his hands over his face, peeking through his fingers.

“What I was rambling about was the fact that you are the most important thing to me. And I don’t want you to think that this means we have to get married or start a family – but this ring is a _promise_. A promise that I’m yours.”

Niall cautiously removed his hands from his face and took the ring box from Harry. He poked at the metal band, looking at it in slight wonder. “So you want to keep me, then?”

Harry grinned. “I want to keep you.”

“Even though I punch you in my sleep sometimes?”

He nodded. “Even if you punch me sometimes.”

“And I spend too much money on useless things…”

“I’ll put you on an allowance!”

“I eat too much, and then complain about it afterward.”

“I think it’s endearing.”

“What about when I drink a lot, and get really obnoxious in front of your work colleagues?”

“You liven up the room!”

Niall smiled softly as Harry easily deflected all of his silly flaws, still not taking his eyes off of his gift.

“You don’t have to wear it, you know, on your finger… If you wanted to just put it on a chain, or even keep it in a drawer somewhere-“

Niall took the ring and slid it firmly on to his left ring finger, tossing the empty box on to the floor beside them. He then grabbed Harry’s face and pulled him in for a kiss, silencing his usual mindless word vomit.

Harry’s heart soared as he got a response of what he assumed was a ‘ _yes_ ’, and that Niall was going to wear his ring proudly, telling the world that he was taken. He rolled off of his new fiancé and settled back in beside him, pulling the blanket over them both. Niall tucked his head under his chin, keeping his left hand raised so he could admire the shiny new addition to his finger.

“I love you,” he mumbled, pressing a kiss to Harry’s jaw.

“I love you, too!” Harry grinned. “It sounds cheesy, but you’ve made me the happiest man in the world!”

“God, you’re so sappy.”

They laid in silence, watching as the room around them became brighter and brighter. They knew they had to get up, clean the house, and prepare for the arrival of their families, but they couldn’t be bothered.

“You know what’s going to be really awkward?” Niall said, breaking the silence after a few moments.

“Mm?” Harry hummed.

“Telling people that you proposed to me while we were laying on our living room floor completely naked.”


End file.
